Coming Down With Something
by SarahJane001
Summary: When one by one the crew of the Resolute falls deathly ill with a mysterious disease, Anakin frantically races to find a cure before his master and his Padawan run out of time... (Remastered story, original taken down)
1. Chapter 1

CDWSRM

The air aboard the _Resolute_ , normally filled with shouts and commands and chaos, seemed for once to carry a feeling of serenity throughout the ship. The two Jedi Knights, Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, along with his apprentice Ahsoka Tano, relaxed in the commons lounge after a long and difficult mission. They had recently been hopping from planet to planet, fighting battles left and right, trying to push the Separatists as far away from the Inner Rim as possible. After a final stop and refuel on the small planet of Rugosa, they and their crew were finally on the way back to Couroscant.

With no pressure or missions to complete, the three Jedi took advantage of their free time. Anakin and his Commander Rex played a game of holo-chess, Obi-wan sat back in a comfy chair to read, and Ahsoka was scribbling in a notebook with a small pencil. The scratching of lead on paper caught Anakin's attention as Ahsoka seemed completely concentrated on what she was writing.

"Whatcha doing, Snips?" Anakin asked, humor present in his tone. Ahsoka wasn't the academic type, he would be heavily surprised if she was doing any studying.

"Adding to the list of planets I've visited." She replied, not looking up from the book.

"Why's that?" He asked, waiting on Rex to move his holographic monster.

"I don't know... I've always wanted to visit as many planets as possible. When I was a youngling I said I was going to see them all someday." Anakin snorted at her explanation. It was kind of cute, as it was pretty much impossible to visit the millions of planets in the span of one lifetime.

"What's so funny, Anakin?" Obi-wan chimed in from his chair, "I remember a certain youngling who once said he wanted to visit them all as well..." Ahsoka chuckled as Anakin's cheeks started to turn pink.

"Very funny, old man." He retorted, turning his attention to his game once more. Ahsoka glanced over at him to discover he was losing by a small margin. She was about to make a comment, when she had to stop writing as she started to cough. She thought she could feel a small tickle in the back of her throat, but after a minute or so it still hadn't gone away. The coughing fit continued for another 30 seconds or so before anyone said anything.

"Why don't you go get some water Snips, before you cough up a lung." She only rolled her eyes as she went and got the water. Ahsoka disappeared into the refresher, taking small sips of water from her cup. After a while, the coughing quit but her throat slightly burned from the fit.

A few hours had gone by, and Obi-wan had gone to talk with Admiral Yularen. Anakin had made fun of him for it, since they still had a few days in space before they got even close to Couroscant. He and Ahsoka had gone to the mess hall to get some food instead. As they ate, the two sat in a comfortable silence. At least, until the unexplained tickly feeling in her throat returned. She set her fork down as she started coughing again, her fist pressed against her mouth. She took a drink again, but still she coughed until her sides started to heave. She took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore it until eventually she quit sputtering.

"Are you gonna live?" Anakin asked her, staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

"It's probably the dry space air," she replied, "I'll be alright."

The day continued as normal, with several more coughing fits here and there. Ahsoka didn't pay much attention to it, after all it would probably be gone the next day anyway.

The crew eventually wound down as people started to go to sleep. Ahsoka and her master bid Obi-wan goodnight as they returned to their shared quarters. The two beds were slits in the walls, on opposite sides of the room with a small refresher attached to the side. They were both in bed, settling down and drifting off. Just as Ahsoka was on the brink of sleep, she began to cough again. She groaned as she heaved, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

She stood up and went into the refresher, noticing the annoyed look on Anakin's face as she passed him. He must have been almost asleep too. She took a gulp of water from the tap with her hand, though it still didn't help. It slid down her throat, aggravating it more than it helped. She decided maybe taking a hot shower would help, the steam and mist soothing her irritated throat. She stepped into the shower, and a few minutes later she finally quit. But even still her sides hurt, she hated coughing fits. She got them sometimes when they went to a dusty planet, but they had only been to lush forested planets thus far, and even they didn't usually keep her up at night.

For lack of something better to do, she stayed in the shower for quite a while. She would cough every now and again but after a while she had quit. She got out of the shower and dried herself off, putting her pajamas on again and leaving the refresher. A cloud of steam followed her out, as her bare feet touched the cold durasteel floor. She cringed; the floor was really cold compared to the tile in the refresher. She took a look at her master, who was still awake and still looked slightly annoyed.

"Better?" He asked her.

"I think so." she said, pulling the covers over her as she crawled into bed. She lie awake for quite a while, finding it impossible to get to sleep. She tossed and turned, trying every position to get comfortable but none worked. She kicked the covers down to her feet, feeling very hot and uncomfortable, and turned over her pillow every few minutes or so. She cleared her throat a few times, but her fit hadn't returned yet.

"Oh for forces sake, Snips, would you go to sleep already?!" She looked at her master, who has his back to her and his hands on his head.

"I'm trying," she said irritably. She glanced at the chrono, and noticed it was about three in the morning.

At some point, however, she must have fallen asleep because before she knew it, Anakin was shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, wake up." She sat up, the top of her montrals brushing the ceiling of her bed.

"Why'd you wake me up?" She asked tiredly, "it's not like we have anything to do today."

"Cause if I can't sleep, neither can you." She glared at him before he chuckled. "Just kidding. The mess hall stops serving breakfast soon so I thought you might want to eat." She nodded sleepy and stood up, putting on some slippers and following him. She didn't really care that she was in her pajamas, it was just a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

On the way there, however, she began to cough again. It was even more uncomfortable than the day before, as it was more of a wet cough, phlegm building up and putting a foul taste in her mouth.

"Not this again," Anakin complained. "You kept me up all last night with your hacking. Do you need to go to the med bay?"

"No, I'm fine," she said between coughs.

"You sure? I'd give you my lungs if I could, since yours seem to be broken." She chuckled a little bit, her coughing dying down a bit.

"I think I'll live," she said sarcastically, "thanks though."

They reached the mess hall and found Obi-wan already at a table, sipping at a cup of tea and reading a book.

"Good morning Anakin, Ahsoka." He greeted us as we sat down with our breakfasts. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't," Anakin replied, casting a glance at Ahsoka.

"Sorry..." She mumbled, taking a bite of toast. The scratchy shards trickled down her throat, setting her off again for what felt like the billionth time.

"I almost wish we had separate quarters," Anakin joked, "you're good company but the coughing is driving me crazy." She laughed, though her heart wasn't in it. She rested her hand on her head, feeling an impending headache surface.

 **Hi! I decided to re-do this story, so I hope you like it! The original has been taken down but I hope you like this one better.**


	2. Chapter 2

CDWSRM:2 

The day progressed as usual, as Anakin went about his business aboard the ship and Ahsoka followed him around. He checked in with Rex, exchanging few words before following him down to the hangar to speak with a few other troopers regarding the previous battles. As his Padawan, Ahsoka was expected to be there, though she would so much rather be anywhere else. If they had been in the temple, Ahsoka could have gone where she wanted to but when they were deployed, she was supposed to remain with her master unless he gave her permission to leave. She had tried to get out of it, but Anakin had said no.

"Take it as a learning opportunity, there's a lot you can pick up from these meetings."

"Like what? How to brag to my troopers about what an awesome general I am and how to bore my Padawan to death?" Ahsoka muttered to herself. She wasn't sure if Anakin had heard her, but if he did he chose to ignore her. They arrived in the hangar and Ahsoka sat on a stack of crates, leaning her head on a neighboring crate. Her headache had only gotten worse throughout the day, and the coughing hadn't ceased either. Ahsoka started to think that it was actually getting worse and maybe she should go see the med droid.

The thought was short lived, however, as Ahsoka didn't want anyone to worry about her. Anakin's meeting seemed to finally subside as his troopers dispersed and he approached her. She stood up to follow him out, but suddenly a surge of overwhelming nausea washed over her. As soon as her feet touched the ground she became dizzy and stumbled into the crates, coughing and sputtering and almost gasping for air.

"Woah, Snips, you ok?" He put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her to sit back down on the crate, as she held her hand up to her head. She tried to focus on deep breathing, but it seemed that her lungs wouldn't let her. She coughed and sputtered, desperately trying to pull oxygen into her lungs. Anakin sat down next to her, rubbing her back trying to help as she caught her breath. After a few minutes, it passed and Ahsoka stood up on shaky legs.

"I think...it's passed." She said finally.

"Let's go to the med bay," he said, gently pushing her forward. "I'm getting worried about you."

"No!" She said, almost panicked. "No, it's ok...I just stood up too fast. I want to just lie down. I'll be fine. Please don't take me to the med bay." Anakin thought for a moment, and sighed.

"Fine, if you really think you're ok I won't make you." Ahsoka inwardly sighed in relief. "But if you don't feel well, you need to tell me."

She nodded, before heading to her quarters. She changed into her pajamas from the previous night, her head spinning. She felt really hot, dizzy, her throat ached and she couldn't really breathe all at the same time. But she really _really_ didn't want Anakin to freak out. She didn't want him to think she was being a baby and couldn't handle a little cough... Him catching her off balance was bad enough. From now on, she decided to herself, we keep it hidden and there won't be anymore slip ups.

 _Meanwhile, in the Hangar..._

"Sir, is Commander Tano doing alright? She's been coughing a lot lately, is she sick or something?"

"She says she's fine, but I've noticed it too. It's probably nothing." Anakin replied. His Padawan was a lot like him, stubborn, and she also had his strong aversion from the med bay. He said goodbye to Rex, and headed up to speak with Obi-wan. His troopers had reported back on the supplies, the state of the ships, the number of casualties, etc. Boring statistics and numbers, numbers Anakin didn't really care about. They hadn't lost any men in his platoon this mission anyway.

He approached Obi-wan's door, prepared to knock, when he heard something coming from inside. He listened more closely, until he recognized the sound of Obi-wan coughing, very aggressively from the sound of it. Anakin felt his heart sink in his chest. If Obi-wan was developing the same symptoms as Ahsoka, what if it was more than a simple cough?

He knocked anyway, and the coughing immediately subsided. The door opened a moment later the door opened.

"Greetings, Anakin. What brings you here?" Obi-wan greeted him, stepping aside to let him in.

" I have more information for the council's report," Anakin said, stepping inside and sitting on the small flat bed carved into the wall. "But more important than that, have you been coughing a lot lately?"

"Maybe a little, but nothing above the ordinary. Honestly, Anakin, you worry far too much. Now then, your information?" He handed Obi-wan the data pad, heading for the door. After Anakin shut the door, he hear Obi-wan's terrible coughing resume.

 _Back in Ahsoka's quarters..._

Ahsoka lie in her bed, sweat pouring off of her in sheets. Her back was stuck to the sheet below her, and the blanket was wadded up at her feet. She had tried for hours to go to sleep, but to no avail. Within a few minutes she heard footsteps approaching their quarters.

The door opened, and Anakin stepped inside. He glanced at her for a moment, until Ahsoka could sense his concern almost immediately. He approached her, putting his hand to her forehead.

"You're burning up..." She pushed his hand away, turning her back to him in her bed.

"I'm fine." She replied, nervousness seeping into her words. "I have a higher body temperature than you anyway." Anakin was in the middle of trying to think of something to say to her, when his com link began beeping.

"General Skywalker," he said in a practiced reply.

"General, you and your Padawan are needed on the bridge immediately. We have just received a transmission from the ground troops on Shinalia."

"Yes, admiral, we'll be right there." Ahsoka was already out of bed, in the refresher putting her clothes on. She re-emerged a second later, dressed, but her face still showed fatigue and was still covered in a thin sheet of sweat.

He tried to think of something to say, but kept his mouth shut anyway. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince her, and if it came down to him ordering her to go, things would get ugly. She followed him to the bridge without a word, only coughing to fill the silence of the short walk.


	3. Chapter 3

CDWSRM:3

Throughout the walk through the massive ship, Anakin and Ahsoka walked in silence. Ahsoka was finding it a little hard to keep up with him, her breath coming in short gasps as she walked behind her master. Eventually, Anakin noticed she was falling a little bit behind, and slowed his pace to match hers.

As they passed hallways and corridors full of troopers, the pair noticed that a lot of them had been coughing as well. Ahsoka snuck a glance at her master, and found his face in a sort of frown. She sensed he was slightly stressed, but not much else. After a moment, however, he must have noticed that she was poking at his mind because his shields snapped into place and his emotions were cut off from her.

"It's not nice to snoop, my young Padawan." He said. He had tried to make it into a joke, but neither of them laughed much. They arrived at the bridge a short time later, to find Admiral Yularen standing next to a few troopers and Obi-wan, who had beaten them there. Anakin joined in the conversation almost immediately, and Ahsoka stood idly at his side. Nobody paid her any mind, but she was used to it. Speak when spoken to was the rule regarding Padawans in meetings. Anakin was usually pretty nice to her and included her in the conversation every now and again. But as of that moment, Ahsoka stood and listened. She noticed a lot of coughing around the bridge, aside from her own, a few even coming from Obi-wan. She tried as hard as she could to refrain from coughing, breaking a small sweat with the effort. Her knees began to get wobbly and black spots danced across her vision. Ahsoka was getting dizzy again, her breath coming shorter and shorter. She shook her head, trying to ignore it. She would NOT make a scene or embarrass herself, not in front of everyone.

Panic began to rise in her chest when she found her breath leave her body faster and faster. She pulled air in and out of her lungs but it was as if they refused to absorb oxygen. Her montrals began to ring as black spots covered her vision until she couldn't find the energy to blink and clear them away. Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt her knees begin to buckle.

"Ahsoka?"

 _Moments earlier..._

Anakin stood on the bridge, speaking with Admiral Yularen and Obi-wan. Ground forces were in need of more supplies, and the admiral was considering a few ships back to re-supply them. About halfway through the meeting, however, he began to sense large amounts of anxiety coming from his Padawan. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes a few times, though she had appeared fine. He noticed Obi-wan looking at her as well, from the other side of the circle.

"Ahsoka?" As her name left his lips, Ahsoka collapsed to the floor. Anakin was next to her in an instant.

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka wake up. Ahsoka!" He put his ear to her chest.

"She's not breathing! Get a medic up here now!" Everyone seemed frantic, as troopers ran to find a medic and Anakin tried to revive his Padawan. He began to perform CPR, desperation present in his movements. After a few tries, a raspy, rattling breath escaped from her, as a medic appeared on the bridge. She was given an oxygen mask, put on a stretcher and whisked to the medbay. Anakin and Obi-wan were not far behind. Obi-wan could sense nothing but Anakin's pure, unmasked terror as they ran.

"Anakin, you must calm yourself. Panicking will not help the situation."

"I told her to go to the medbay!" He spoke, angrily through clenched teeth. Not anger at Ahsoka, however, anger at himself. "I knew she was sick, I let her convince me that she was ok..." They arrived at the medbay, where Ahsoka was eventually stabilized. Anakin never left Ahsoka's side, staying with her until her eyes weakly fluttered open...


	4. Chapter 4

CDWSRM:4

 **Hi friends :) happy new year!**

 _Ahsoka POV_

My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to a surprising amount of light. After adjusting to the harshness of the light, I sat up, instantly pulled back by something on my face I hadn't noticed. I wrestled with it, trying to get it off of me so that I could sit up and figure out what was going on. Having no idea where I was, no memories of getting here, wondering if I'd been captured, I began to panic. A shrill beeping noise made it impossible to focus as I struggled with the foreign object stuck to my head, it was getting caught on my lekku as I yanked at it. My heart was racing as the panic grew and the beeping grew louder. A hand shot out and grabbed my hand, the immense strength belonging to it preventing me from moving it at all.

"Ahsoka, stop! Calm down, you're safe, it's me." I turned and looked to my left, frantic until I realized it was Anakin. My heart beat slowed, and the shrill beeping ceased. I looked around to realize it was a heart monitor, to which I was attached, along with an oxygen tube stuck in my nostrils. Anakin let go of my hand and adjusted it for me, putting it back into its former place before I had yanked and pulled at it trying to get loose.

"What am I doing here?" I questioned, but he didn't answer. He just tightened the oxygen and gently pushed my shoulders so I lie back on the bed.

"I'm so sorry, Ahsoka. I knew you weren't well, I should have brought you in so much sooner..."

"No, master I'm fine. I don't need to be here, I'm alright." I said as confidently as I could, sitting back up and unfastening the oxygen tube. He grabbed my hands again, his vice like grip holding both hands in a lock.

"You are absolutely not alright, Ahsoka. And you're staying here until you get better." I tried to remove my hands from his grip, but he held me tightly.

"Master, let go of me." I said, irritated. "I don't want to be here. I don't need to be, I'm fine. Let go of me!" But he still held me in place.

"Ahsoka, you're staying and that's final. You can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me." I struggled against his grasp, getting more frustrated as his strength far surpassed mine. My arms shook with the effort as I thrashed around, trying to get him to release me. I felt a small prick in the back of my arm, and looked over my shoulder to see a small droid roll away with an empty syringe.

"Ahsoka this is for your own good. Please, snips..." He said, looking into my eyes. I stared into his and saw a lot of pain. "I don't want anything like that to ever happen to you again."

Before I could ask him what he was talking about, I suddenly found myself feeling woozy. My arms went limp and so did my shoulders, as well as the rest of me. It felt as if I had just taken a step off of a cliff and my whole body was falling. Anakin set me down gently on the bed, releasing my hands and crossing them over my stomach as I continued to feel the effects of the drug. It felt like I was rapidly falling asleep, and as much as I wanted to stop it I had no control. I looked into Anakin's eyes, pleading him to make it stop and to just let me prove to him that I was ok. But he still looked sort of sad, but he kissed the top of my forehead as he stood up. I tried to follow him with my eyes but the very little task felt impossible.

"Sleep well, Snips," I heard him whisper as I continued falling, falling, falling into the abyss...

 _Anakin POV_

I left the room, the whoosh of air billowing around my feet as the door clicked shut. I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling as though all of my stresses could leave me with every breath.

"How's she doing?" Obi-wan asked, sitting in a chair with a holo-pad.

"Stubborn," I said, more irritably than I meant it. "I love her but she can be so stubborn! She fought with me from the moment she woke up, she ended up having to be sedated. She keeps trying to tell me she's fine..." I said, sinking into a chair. I had always thought me and Ahsoka were close, why wouldn't she tell me if she was in pain? Had I done something to make her not trust me?

"Anakin, I sense a lot of anxiety from you. Ahsoka's in good hands. You don't need to worry."

"It's not that," I admitted, resting my head on my hand. "It's just... Why wouldn't she tell me, before it got so bad? Why doesn't she trust me to help her?"

"Anakin, Ahsoka trusts you with her life," he said sincerely, putting the holo pad on the table. "In many ways, she takes a lot after you. She's prideful. She wants to show you that she's strong and independent, she doesn't want to ask for help because she doesn't want you to think she's weak."

"What?" I said, tossing my head up. "Of course I think she's strong, she's not weak in the slightest! Why would she need to prove that to me?"

"Not just to you, to everyone." Obi-wan replied. "It's part of being a Padawan. On top of that, she's the Chosen One's Padawan, she probably feels like she has more to live up to. There's not much you can do, she'll eventually realize she is all of those things on her own."

I sat and thought about what Obi-wan had told me, and the more I began to understand.

"Thank you, Master." I said, standing up and headed back to her bedside. She was still asleep, which wasn't all that surprising. The sedative was strong, she would be asleep for a few hours. I listened to her closely and I was startled to hear how wheezy here breathing was, even though she was at rest. The droids had mentioned doing more tests when she was stable. I sat down beside the bed in the chair from earlier, stroking the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Oh snips, I really hope you know how proud I am of you," I whispered, while knowing she couldn't hear me, "but my approval isn't worth your life."


	5. Chapter 5

_Anakin POV_

"I knew it was bigger than just Ahsoka," I mumbled, following the floating cot of a trooper who had fallen ill to the cough that had contaminated the ship. This was the 26th reported case, with Ahsoka as patient zero. He entered the med bay and instantly headed to the corner with the curtains pulled shut. Ahsoka was still asleep from the droid's impressively strong sedative and Obi-wan lay in a bed beside her, coughing just as violently as when Ahsoka's symptoms had first started.

"She showing any signs of waking up?" I asked, sitting in the chair beside Ahsoka's bed so I could face them both.

"Not yet," Obi-wan replied weakly. "Your really shouldn't-" he was cut off as another spout of coughing began. My old master had also been placed on oxygen, but his face was an unsettling pale.

As I stood up to give Obi-wan a cool rag, Ahsoka started violently coughing from her bed. Her small body trembled with the force of it, until she was finally silent moments before she opened her eyes. They immediately found their way to the restraints placed on her wrists, keeping them cuffed to the bed. I could feel her eyes bearing into me as I used the force to try and reach out and comfort her. Her mental shields were down, weakened just as she was. She was radiating feelings of hurt, betrayal, anger, embarrassment, shame... I backed out of her mind and stood at the foot of her bed.

"Do you want some water?" I asked her. Her eyes went from the cuffs to directly into mine. I could see tears forming in them, from the intensity of the coughing or her feelings, I wasn't sure.

"You cuffed me to the bed?" She asked me, her weak, tired voice breaking.

"I'm sorry," I said with sadness. "I didn't want you to try and escape again." She said nothing, but looked away from me as the tears in her eyes remained unshed. She took a few small, weak breaths, mustering up the strength to try and appear less hurt than she actually was.

"I know you don't want to be here but trust me, Snips, this really is for your own good." I exchanged a quick glance with Obi-wan. "You don't have to be strong all the time, Snips. You're one of the strongest people I know, but sometimes you have to let your guard down and let me help you. You can't tackle the whole galaxy by yourself. I'm so proud of the Padawan you've become, and even more proud at what an amazing friend you are." She smiled, one of the small tears slipping down her cheek. I grabbed a tissue from the night stand and wiped it away.

"Thanks," she whispered weakly, letting her head fall back on the pillow.

"I'll let you two get some rest," I said, covering Ahsoka with the thin blanket before I stepped out to speak to Admiral Yularen.

 _Ahsoka POV_

Anakin left the room, his retreating form making the curtains quiver. I began coughing again, my lungs screaming for oxygen. My head was spinning, my vision was spotty and my montrals were ringing. I folded in on myself as best I could, given the fact that my hands were cuffed to the bed. I supposed I had it coming, trying to wrestle Anakin off of me like that. Now I was too weak to even lift my head, let alone try to escape. I opened my eyes when I felt someone fiddling with the cuff. It was Obi-wan, removing them from my wrists. They flopped uselessly to the bed, as I didn't have the strength to lift them.

"I'm confident you won't try to leave again." He said, looking at me with sympathy and understanding. I closed my eyes, tears forming in the corners as another fit of coughing overtook me. My body uncontrollably shook, the inevitable panic setting in as I fought for every breath. My lungs refused to cooperate. I was grateful that Obi-wan had freed me, my hands wrapped around my torso as I shook with the violence of the coughing.

For some reason I couldn't place, I began to feel more calm. My heart slowed and gradually, oxygen became less fleeting. The coughing stopped, leaving my lying on my bed and the terror slowly fading. Soon enough I sensed Obi-wan in my thoughts, his presence in my mind calming me.

"Just try to breathe," he croaked from across the room. "If you panic you'll hyperventilate." I could just barely hear him over my own noise. The curtain rustled and a droid rolled up to me, changing out the IV bag attached to my arm.

 _Obi-wan POV_

"It'll be better if she's asleep," the droid explained, giving me a cup filled with liquid as Ahsoka settled into an uneasy sleep within seconds. I drank it without question and nodded, as the droid left without further discussion. I used the back of my hand to wipe the sweat off of my brow. High fever, uncontrollable coughing, inability to breathe properly... There had to be a reason.

I'd racked my brain for the last few days trying to figure out what could be happening to us, but I had come up with nothing. What I needed to do was to speak with the Jedi council, but I hadn't heard from them in the last three days. I closed my eyes, blocking out the noise and my surroundings, blending in with the force around me. The fear and confusion seemed to lift from my brain, separating facts and feelings. I sighed, content. Even though I was weak from the illness, it brought me joy feeling more organized. Sifting through the facts, the tests done, the results, the lack of results, lack of facts, lack of answers...

"You're going to send yourself in circles, Obi-wan." My eyes snapped open, looking for the source of the painfully familiar voice. I looked around the room, to find the glowing presence of my old master, sitting at the foot of my bed.

"Master Qui-gon? What are you doing here?" I said in awe, scooting back so that he had more room.

"There's no need for that, Obi-wan," he said as he stood up. "What you do need is rest. This illness is much larger than you, the longer and harder you try to solve the puzzle, the more pieces will be added."

"But master, how am I to help her," I motioned to Ahsoka, "or any of the troopers?"

"The answer lies not with you," Qui-gon said, striding toward the curtain door. "But with the Chosen one."

"Anakin's frantic," I argued. " he's far too attached to Ahsoka and I."

"You must have faith," he stated simply, "if he's to bring balance to the force, he can save those he cares about." With that, he pushed the curtain aside and was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

CDWSRM:6 

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't worked on this story in a little while, it's been pretty hectic. School is finally out, so (between working two! :0 jobs) I have some time to work on my pieces! This chapter isn't really planned, so just bear with me! (As I write this on break at work) enjoy!**

"So? What have you come up with?" Anakin asked the med droid, urgency dripping from his words.

"Well, from what we can tell, it seems to be some sort of virus. We think it's eating away at cell tissue in the lungs, making for the shortness in breath."

"Alright. How do you cure it?" He said, slightly more relaxed. If they knew what it was, surely that was an indicator they had a cure?

"As of right now, we don't have a cure. We don't have a vaccination, or for that matter, we don't know if it's contagious or not."

"Well then what do we do?" Anakin snapped, running a hand through his hair. His breath too was coming short, but his only ailment was the pure terror that he was losing control of.

"Well, as unfortunate as it is, we could find out much more if we could perform a full-scale autopsy-"

"No." He said firmly. "That is NOT an option."

"We don't have any records of this particular virus. Unless we could find out more about it, perhaps where it came from, we could isolate it and fight it. Take a look at this," the droid said, holding a Petri dish and a microscope. It felt almost like a telescope in his hands.

Anakin looked into it, realizing that he was looking at a blood sample. He looked through the microscope to find what he would describe as the ugliest thing he'd ever seen.

What he saw resembled a small white bug, except it looked as though it had tentacles rather than legs. There were three or four of them in the blood sample.

"...So it's a parasite?" He said disgustedly, remembering the last time something like this had happened. The Geonosian worms, which had infected his crew and almost killed his padawan, briefly crossed his mind and earned him a shudder.

"Not exactly," the droid replied, taking the Petri dish and stowing it in his opened torso. "These are a bacterium, not an organism. If we knew how they spread, we could potentially stop them."

"Well gee, is that all?" Anakin asked sarcastically, anger swelling in his chest. "If you don't mind, I'm more interested in killing the damn things before they kill my padawan and master, not learning about them! How do I find out how they spread?"

"Find what all the patients have in common." And with that, the droid flew away, leaving Anakin alone.

Anakin paced the walls of his quarters, his hands wrapped around his head. He let out a long sigh, scrolling through his data pad once more. He'd found nothing "in common" with the patients, except that they were all on the same planets at the same time. But the whole crew had been there, and so had he.

He slammed the pad down on his desk. He put his head on his hands, stress crashing over him in waves. He stared at Ahsoka's empty bed, sighing in defeat, when he noticed something sticking out from under her pillow. He grabbed it, suddenly curious. Turning it over in his hands, he realized it was ahsoka's little tiny black notebook. He flipped it open, turning to the first page.

 _Christophsis_

 _Beautiful green city_

 _First military rations_

 _First mission ever!_

 _Tatooine_

 _Sand_

 _More military rations_

 _Cute hutt baby_

As Anakin read the first page, he smiled lightly. It was a recording of their first mission together, back when she was no more than 14. He closed the notebook and headed to the medbay.

Anakin pushed back the curtain, seeing Ahsoka lying on the bed. She was awake, as her eyes met his.

"Hey, Snips." He said casually, trying to ignore the icy cold feeling in his chest upon seeing her pale skin and sunken eyes.

She said nothing, but smiled and waved a little bit. Her eyes landed on the notebook that he carried.

"Oh, uh, that. I wanted to ask you about something in here. Sorry, I skimmed a few pages."

She rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

"They told me not to talk," she said in a croaky whisper, "but I'm used to breaking the rules with you."

"Anyway," he said, smiling and sitting in the chair next to her, "what do you write down for each planet? I don't really understand."

"The planet's name... what it looked like... what I ate- I try to try one food on each planet, and my favorite thing about it." She said weakly. Anakin nodded, flipping through the pages. He landed on the page she had last written on, until he noticed something odd.

"What does this mean? On Shinalia. You said your favorite thing was "the greenwater"?

"Oh yeah, that. A group of us went swimming in this beautiful lake, a local said it was lake "greenwater"."

Anakin smiled, and was about to reply, when a medical trooper pushed the curtain open.

"I thought I told you no talking, missy." He said, hanging an IV bag and detaching the old one from her arm. Anakin stood up, getting out of his way.

"I'll see you later snips, I have to do some research. I'll visit you again in an hour or so."

As he walked back to his quarters, his com link beeped.

"General Skywalker," he said instantly.

"We're approaching Couroscant now, sir. The patients will be taken immediately to the hospital."

"Thank you, Admiral." He said, hanging up the com, feeling the familiar jolt as they broke free of hyperspace. Perhaps the best hospital in the inner rim, Couroscant medical center, would have the answers he yearned for.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. Enjoy!**

The slight jolt of the ship's stabilizers colliding with the ground woke Ahsoka from her drug-induced slumber. She opened her eyes, finding the small effort increasingly difficult. She shut them again, deciding to conserve her energy. By way of the Force, she didn't need to use her eyes to see anyhow. She sensed Master Obi-wan close beside her, seemingly asleep. The lights in the medical cabin, dimmed after she had been put to sleep, suddenly brightened, shifting the color of the light inside her eyelids. The door opened, and footsteps approached her bed. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing the faces of two medical troopers.

"Rest easy, Commander," he said as she closed her eyes once more, "we've arrived on Coruscant. You're being delivered to the hospital now." She felt movement as her bed's hovering capabilities were activated and the clone guided her out the door. She sighed, irritated at her failing strength.

"Where...where's my… master?" She asked, between agonizingly slow breaths. The trooper placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, you're gonna be alright. He'll be along soon." The twisting and turning of her cot as the trooper moved along made her extremely dizzy, so she shut her eyes tightly and tried to center herself with the Force. It was unlike her to become so frazzled, but with each day that the illness ravaged her body, the less control she felt she had. The artificial light of the _Resolute_ was replaced with the harsh natural light of the sun.

Ahsoka yelped in pain as the troopers stepped onto the concrete and jogged to the transport. A hand was placed on her forehead in an attempt to calm her by one of her carriers, but it did little to satiate the pain coursing through her veins. The sun burned where it touched her skin, heating up the already feverish skin to an unbearable temperature. Once she was carried into the shady interior of the ship, she let out a small sigh of relief. She was still hot and uncomfortable, but the sudden darkness slightly eased her headache. She glanced around to the other cots in the ship, searching for the familiar ginger beard of Obi-wan, but all she could see were troopers. Taking a breath, Ahsoka tried to calm herself, but the familiar burn in her lungs returned.

Coughs racked her tiny frame, turning her over on her side as her lungs screamed for air. Dark spots clouded her vision and her head pounded as she tried to obtain oxygen. She tried counting backwards from ten, trying to keep calm as Obi-wan had told her, but she couldn't concentrate on anything besides her body's instinctual panic from the lack of air.

Slowly, but eventually, she found the ability to breathe once again, feeling the same dread that the cough would return once again. She closed her eyes and tried to tune out the dull sound of the ship's engine, the collective coughing of the other troopers, and the sound of rushing air outside. She reached out, trying to connect with the force… trying to release her negative emotions as she knew she should, but every time she felt ready to embrace it, she would get sidetracked by the thoughts that refused to be quiet. The question that her brain kept throwing out, despite her attempts to ignore it. The one question she knew she shouldn't keep thinking about, driving herself crazy without an answer.

 _Am I going to die?_

Ahsoka sighed, frustrated with herself. She couldn't quit thinking about it. She had been taught since she was young that death was not to be feared, but embraced. Death was a natural part of life, and to become one with the force was the destiny that she would someday face. But she prayed nonetheless, she didn't want that day to come so soon. She should relax, and trust the will of the force. She _should_ embrace whatever fate has been laid out for her. She _should_ let go of her fear, her anxiety, into the force so she could focus on being positive. She had been taught many things she should do in situations like this, but even those lessons seemed to abandon her when she most needed their wisdom. She had never given death serious consideration, despite the lifestyle she lived, relying on her training and her master to save her if she was in serious danger. She cursed herself for it now, wishing she had been more considering of the value of her life before it was about to be taken from her. The negative thoughts swarmed in her mind, with nowhere to go but around and around in circles, the most prominent of which stuck out to her the most as the ship landed.

 _No amount of training is going to save me now._

The doors opened, and she was moved into the hospital with the other troopers. The troopers moved through the halls seamlessly, entering one set of doors after another, until the gurney came to a stop next to an examining table. A Tholothian woman in a long white coat entered, along with several other doctors of varying species. She came to a stop across the table from Ahsoka, nodding to the troopers. The gurney was settled on top of the table, as the woman placed a cool hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.

"One...Two...Three." She spoke, and suddenly Ahsoka was turned on her side, facing the doctor, as the gurney was replaced under her with the crinkly paper of the examining table. Ahsoka cringed, her sore muscles being bumped as the gurney was moved out from under her, and suddenly she was on her back once again as the troopers left the room.

"Padawan Tano?" The Tholothian woman spoke, making eye contact with Ahsoka, "My name is Doctor Neela Asura. Do you know where you are?"

"Coruscant…." Ahsoka whispered weakly.

"Good." She shined a flashlight into Ahsoka's eyes, causing the dark spots to return to cover her pupils.

"Disorientation," she spoke to a short male Rodian, holding a datapad. "Dehydration, showing signs of early respiratory failure. I need 200 ccs of saline. Dr. Volas, administer an IV in the left arm. We're going to need a blood sample, pre-op tox screen, and 30 ccs of Thiopental."

A male human appeared on the opposite side of her, gripping her arm. Ahsoka flinched at the sudden cold of the alcohol swab on her forearm, and his grip tightened.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Dr. Neela said, drawing her attention away from the needles and tubing the man was handling. "What's your name?"

"Ah….Ahsoka," She said, trying to summon the energy to speak.

"Ahsoka, you're just gonna feel a small pinch, ok? It's nothing to worry about. Can you tell me about what you're feeling?"

"I'm hot…" She whispered, cringing as she felt her skin being penetrated, "Sore… I can't breathe… My head hurts."

"Alright. We're gonna help you feel better. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen? And already a Padawan learner? Very impressive, young one. You must be quite skilled." Ahsoka smiled at the compliment, scrunching her eyes suddenly as her skin was pulled and the tube inserted into her arm.

She sighed, trying her best to ignore the throbbing in her arm, but she only became more concerned as letting go of her fear and her pain into the force became harder. She lie on the examining table, surrounded by people, but without the comforting embrace of the force, she felt completely alone. In the grand scale of things, the pain was minimal compared to other things she had experienced in her lifetime, however, not being able to release the small amount she felt now troubled her deeply.

Ahsoka heard the doors open once more, however her eyes were closed once more as she was stuck on the opposite arm with a syringe, drawing her blood. She took a deep breath, wondering when the pain would cease from the first injection.

"Hey Snips." Her eyes opened to the sound of her Master's voice, relief washing over.

"Master." She smiled as she spoke, but gritted her teeth as her left arm was grabbed once more.

"Ahsoka?" Dr. Neela spoke, getting her attention. "This medicine is gonna make you sleepy, okay? Just relax and try to go to sleep, your body needs time to absorb the fluids." She only nodded, grateful that she was going to sleep more.

"You got any extra of that?" Anakin asked her, putting a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder, "What I wouldn't do for a nap right now, especially after this one's coughing." Dr. Neela chuckled, turning her back to retrieve the datapad from the Rodian. He and the human left, as the doors opened yet again to reveal a mobile bed for her to be transported onto. The nurses accompanying the bed approached either side of her, as Anakin moved to give them space.

Ahsoka was lifted onto the bed, wincing as her muscles screamed in protest and the nerves on her feverish skin were set on fire. Anakin gripped her hand, stroking it with his thumb.

"You're all right, Snips." Despite the pain, she rolled her eyes at his cheesy comment, casting him a raised eye-marking as he followed behind her.

"I will be." She replied, feeling some of the anxiety of being by herself lifted. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Not until they kick me out, Snips. Or you do." They all shuffled into a lift, and moments later they all stepped out on a different floor.

"How is Obi-wan?" She asked as she was wheeled down the hallway.

"Stable. So are most of the troopers, last I heard." She nodded silently. At least there hadn't been any casualties...yet. After a few short minutes, she was brought into a pleasantly dark room and the bed docked with the wall.

"I'm going to check on your test results," Dr. Neela stated, before her and the nurses left the two to themselves.

"Master?" She looked to Anakin, who had taken a seat right next to her.

"Yes?"

"I know it's against my teachings, but I… I don't know what to do. I'm so scared."

"Fear is a natural emotion, Ahsoka." He said, placing a hand on top of hers. "Your emotions are important, but it's important to remember that they're not facts. They change, evolve. That's why it's the moral duty of a Jedi to have control over their emotion. Do you think there's a Jedi alive who's so trained that they don't feel emotion?" She shook her head.

"Exactly. _**We all feel emotion, but what separates us from others is that we don't give our emotions power.**_ " Ahsoka nodded, secretly relieved. Her master was right, and she didn't have to be ashamed of being afraid. Besides, even if she wanted to, she doubted she had the strength to act on any emotion at the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello hello! Sorry, I know last chapter was very short, and didn't do a whole lot to move the plot along, but I felt bad for not having anything super duper innovative to post. I have been spending most of my time working on that One Shot, _Destroyed from Within,_ but since I've finished that, I'd like to get back to my other stories. So here we go! I'll try not to give you guys a bunch of filler chapters. Reviews are always appreciated, as well as suggestions and constructive criticisms! Thanks!

….

The pain he felt was bearable, although he doubted it would stay that way for long. He had been lucky, and hadn't fallen nearly as ill as some of his brothers, or Commander Tano for that matter. But regardless, Rex sat in his bed in the infirmary all the same. The hospital was practically overflowing with victims of this plague, and those who were fortunate enough to still be standing saved the precious resources for those who could not. The disease still ran rampant throughout the decks of the _Resolute,_ causing the ship and it's non-critical passengers to be quarantined.

More than anything, Rex wished that there was something productive he could be doing in his downtime. Anyone that didn't know him would urge that he stay in bed, to get some rest and try to recuperate, but those closer to the Clone Captain knew it was more torturous to be idle. He had been spared the worst paralyzing embrace of this illness, and as long as he had the ability to walk, to help, to _fight,_ he was going to use it.

Standing from his bed, he checked in with the few other soldiers he shared his room with. They may all be identical genetically and instinctually refer to each other as 'brother', but these troopers in particular, Rex had never met before. But of course, they all knew who he was from the countless stories. Chief, Glosser, and Poler were among many of the troopers previously stationed on Shinalia, headed back to Coruscant for redeployment before the virus struck. Legions, divisions, and squads didn't hold their prior significance, however, in the fight for their lives against the enemy with no face.

As Rex moved from trooper to trooper, he noted their vital signs and distributed ration bars and water canteens. They remained asleep, their faces equally slicked with sweat as they fought the raging illness. With nothing more he could do in the room, rather than climb the walls out of boredom, Rex grabbed his shirt from atop his piled armor and headed out the door. The ship was eerily quiet, absent of troopers milling about and droids scuttering down the hallways. Deciding that food might help his stomach settle, Rex turned to the left at the intersection of hallways and made his way to the mess hall.

Upon entry, he noticed that the lights were dimmed and the tables were completely empty. He took a few steps farther in, triggering the motion activated lights, and realized that at the back of the mess hall sat General Skywalker. He approached the table, at first glance believing the general was asleep with his head leaning on his propped up elbow.

"Sir?" He asked softly. Anakin's head rose, blinking a few times before focusing his eyes on Rex.

"Oh…hey, Rex." He noticed that sitting next to the general was a half empty bottle, containing what he assumed was alcohol.

"Are you alright, sir?" Anakin nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Just a bit tired. Care to sit?" He sat down at the table, opposite the general, when he reached over and grabbed the bottle, filling his cup. He offered Rex a cup as well.

"No thanks. My head kills as it is." To this, Anakin only chuckled, taking a long swig of his drink. Rex continued to watch the general, wondering to himself how much he had drank before he showed up. He wasn't exactly surprised- the general had his vices just like anyone else, especially during the war. Skywalker was a responsible adult, and Rex knew he didn't get many chances to relax.

"Have you heard back from the hospital?" A shake of the head was the only answer the clone captain received, watching the general finish off his glass. Although he tried to hide it, Rex could easily tell how much pressure the General was under. The bags under his eyes, the sullen look on his face, the way his shoulders slumped- it was enough for anyone who knew to look closely to realize exactly how _not okay_ Anakin actually was.

"Rex, do you think they're going to die?" He looked the Captain in the eye, his blue eyes clouded and unfocused.

"I don't know, sir. I hope not."

"This is the Force punishing me," he spoke softly, grabbing the bottle and drinking straight from its mouth, "everybody I love, all of my men… they're all suffering for my sins."

"Sir, with all due respect, you're not thinking in the right state of mind. This illness couldn't possibly be your fault. Isn't one of your Jedi sayings that everything is "the will of the Force"?"

"That's a good point, too. Why should I sacrifice myself, or everything I hold close, if we're all going to die of this damn sickness? What reason could there be for the Force to let us suffer like this? Why should I bother trying to be the hero if it doesn't even matter in the end?"

"Because it's the right thing to do, sir. You know that." Anakin sighed, nodding in agreement.

"I suppose so, Rex." He noticed the General's eyes drooping even more as he set down the bottle for the last time, dry as a bone. Rex stood from the table, ignoring the complaints from his muscles and joints, to help Anakin stand on his feet.

"Sir, I think you need some rest." He made no comment, following Rex's lead. It certainly wasn't the first time Rex had helped his general out when he was drunk, and it would most likely not be the last. Slowly but surely, Rex helped the stumbling general down the hallway to his quarters, where his well-deserved rest awaited.

…

Thick, dark, never ending blackness surrounded her. Whether she couldn't see anything, or there was nothing _to_ see, she couldn't tell. She tried blinking to clear her vision, but the blackness remained. In the very bottom of her montrals, indicating the lowest frequency of sound that she could hear, the slight whooshing of wind began to stir. It brushed against her skin, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms. Considering the high fever she was sporting, one would think that the cooling breeze would feel pleasant, but it only put Ahsoka on edge.

The skin at the base of her neck began to prickle, as if her body was trying to warn her of someone behind her. She tried to turn around, but it seemed as if her body would not comply with her request. Fear began to creep along the edges of her mind, but unlike normal, Ahsoka couldn't release the wayward emotions into the Force. She couldn't feel the force by her side at _all._ The wind picked up, and hidden in its noise, whispers. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Panic wasn't exactly the Jedi way, after all. They grew louder as the wind caressed her skin, chilling her to the bone. They weren't speaking Basic, or they were whispering nonsense, but regardless, Ahsoka tried her best to ball her fists and ready herself for any sort of confrontation. However, the most she could manage were shaking fingers curled inwards to her loose palms.

"Time is ticking, young one." Ahsoka's blood ran cold as the voice stood out, directly behind her. Her breath hitched as cold, inky black fingers rested on her shoulders. The same, almost tangible tendrils of darkness wrapped themselves around her legs, her arms, her torso, working their way up. She tried to move, but any control over her body that she previously had was gone. They slowly crawled their way up her neck, wrapping her montrals, devouring her Padawan braid and akul-tooth headdress. It was suffocating her, her heart racing and her breathing becoming more rapid, yet more labored. As the darkness convened at her face, threatening to smother her, she screamed out in terror as the voice she had heard receded, laughing sinisterly. Her eyes, her nose, and lastly her mouth were covered in sticky black darkness, swallowing her scream with as much ease as it swallowed her.

Ahsoka awoke, with the same ear-piercing shriek that she created in her dream. The heart monitor beside her bed was beeping rapidly, showing her increasing heart rate. She tried to take deep breaths, but upon return to the waking world, her oxygen limitations reminded her of the impossibility of such a simple task. She coughed and sputtered, trying to get her lungs to inflate and take in oxygen, unknowingly only adding to the panic she already faced. A nurse yanked back the curtain, approaching her on the right and placing a sturdy hand on her chest, forcing her to lie back flatly on the bed.

"Calm yourself, child, you are safe." Her eyes snapped open, conveying to the orderly the terror the youngling before him was experiencing. He kept his olive-colored palm on her sternum, pushing down and relinquishing at the pace he tried to get her to breathe at. Her hyperventilation slowly subsided, leaving her nauseous and dizzy. By the time she had finally been able to control her rapid breathing, her head pounded and black spots clouded her vision.

"Shh...shh...everything is alright." He released his touch on her chest, grabbing one of her limp wrists to check her pulse manually. Ahsoka assumed he could have merely looked at the monitor, but she couldn't deny that the touch was soothing.

"Justin, what has happened here?" Ahsoka's eyes flitted across the room to see Dr. Neela approaching her.

"Just a….bad...dr..dream." Ahsoka wheezed, besides the harsh pounding sensation in her head.

"Her heart rate spiked and her lungs couldn't keep up. Hyperventilation, nausea and headache I assume?" The Twi-lek orderly, Justin, asked Ahsoka. She nodded feebly.

"You must be careful, youngling. The disease is eating away at the tissues in your lungs, making it hard for you to absorb oxygen as it is. If you don't keep a low heart rate, your lungs could collapse from overexertion." Ahsoka's eyes went wide, but she nodded.

"Alright then. Justin, prepare an injection site." He nodded, scurrying across the room to gather supplies. Dr. Neela gently clasped Ahsoka's feverish hand in her own, gaining the reward of the Padawan's eyes.

"Alright, young one. We're going to take another quick blood sample, okay?" Ahsoka nodded, curiously. _Didn't they take a blood sample yesterday?_

It was done and over before she could think too much about it, but her nerves remained on end. As far as she'd heard, they still didn't know what was wrong with them, but Ahsoka knew all too well that she wasn't getting any better. Her hands had turned from their natural sunset orange to a sickly tan color, and her nails were almost blue at the cuticles. As eerie as the words had been, tinted with evil connotations and uttered by the most unsettling of voices, Ahsoka couldn't deny the truth : Time is ticking. Every trooper, commander, Jedi, and officer were all on a clock, counting down with each passing moment, and none of them knew when time was up.

"Ahsoka?" The steady voice of Dr. Neela gained her attention, as she felt a slight tug on her chest. The monitoring electrodes attached to her skin were minisculely pulled as the orderly moved her heart monitor from the wall above her onto a levitating stand.

"We're going to move you into a more comfortable room, is that alright?" She nodded, and the Doctor proceeded to help Justin untangle oxygen tubes and IV lines so that Ahsoka and all of her life supporting devices could become mobile.

Lights, people, and doorways passed overhead as Ahsoka was levitated through the halls of the hospital. Moving her head to survey her surroundings had been deemed nearly impossible, so the Padawan was content to merely watch the scenery directly above her. She recognised the cozy interior of a lift as her and her entourage adjusted themselves into the small space. The air had the faint scent of lemon lingering in the air, and the plain, practical interior of the previous floor was replaced with the welcoming, homey interior of the floor they had landed on. As the door opened to them, curiosity overpowered the nausea for a moment and Ahsoka faintly lifted her head and watched the furnishings pass by. This floor looked more like a hotel than a hospital, complete with HoloTV's everywhere, plush couches, carpets, vases and flowers, and almost no indication of the practices that went on behind the lavish oak doors.

"Where is Master Kenobi?" She asked the doctor who strode calmly by her side. Her voice was weak and cracking, but it was there nonetheless.

"This entire floor has been reserved for those from your ship." Dr. Neela told the girl.

They walked through one of the doors, and the comfortable shades of green and brown were replaced by pale shades of blue and white, giving the room a more comfortable ambiance. There was space enough for two patients, but Ahsoka seemed to be the only occupant as her bed docked with the wall and all of her life support machinery was secured to the overhead panels. As they finished making her comfortable and putting her equipment in its proper place, a slight knock at the door alerted their attention.

"Dr. Neela?" Asked a Rodian woman, endowed with dark green skin and eyes as blue and vast as hyperspace. "I have the girl's results back from the lab- the same as the others."

"And the conclusion?" Dr. Neela asked in return, turning to face her.

"She, Master Kenobi, and all of the clones that we've tested so far- they all tested positive for MRSA Pneumonia."

"Pneumonia?" Spoke Ahsoka, confused and verging on angry. "Are you serious? We could have treated pneumonia on the _Resolute_!"

"Yes, unfortunately MRSA Pneumonia is a different story. What you have is a different type, named Methicillin-Resistant-Staphylococcus-Aureus, or MRSA pneumonia for short. The problem is that the most common treatments for pneumonia don't work on this particular strain. Furthermore, Dr. Neela, what I came to tell you was there is something not quite right about their cases…"

"What do you mean?" She asked, grabbing the datapad from the Rodian's outstretched hand. She looked at the datapad for a few moments, before her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. The doctor handed the datapad to Justin as well, all three of their faces mirroring the same look of confusion.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asked, concerned. Justin held the datapad in front of her so she was able to see what they had all seen. It was two pictures, of what looked like a disgusting insect. It was white, circular, and had many limbs. The one on the right had about eight limbs, and was a sort of off-grey color. The one on the left, however, was a sharp contrast to the grey as it was completely bleach white. It had several more limbs, and was larger in size compared to the other.

"I...I don't understand," she admitted, "what is that?" It was the Rodian woman who answered her question.

"The one on the right is what a typical MRSA bacteria looks like. On the left, is a picture of a bacteria collected from one on the patients. Upon examination of every single vial of blood, all of the patients from the _Resolute_ displayed the form on the left."

"So what does that mean?" She asked, looking into Dr. Neela's eyes, perhaps for some form of comfort. However, the daunting, serious look provided her no such relief, only more worry.

"It means that the type of MRSA Pneumonia that you have contracted is a mutated strain, one we have never seen before. In all of the lab's trials, our usual procedures to treat MRSA didn't work, either. It has an even higher resistance to drugs." Said the Rodian woman, her tone even and her face set in a calm posture.

"Unfortunately, Padawan Tano, we don't yet have a cure for this disease."

…..

Hey guys! This one took FOREVER to finish! I'm sorry about the wait. And I know I've dropped a few hints throughout the chapters, but looks can be deceiving! I promise this story isn't going to go quite the way you think…. ;) Anyways, I've done my research and yes, MRSA Pneumonia is a real disease. You'll find out more about it as I go further along in the story. However, for the purpose of my story, I've changed just a few things, but I will try to keep it as close to the truth as possible. I hope you enjoyed this installment and stick around for the next one! Adios!


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everybody! Thank you so much for your patience with me, and I am so very excited to say that I've finally gotten past my writer's block and am ready to continue on! Please R &R as always! **

…

"You really shouldn't do that, Master."

Anakin rolled his eyes as his Padawan gave him a pleading glance, throwing away his face mask at the door. The nurse at the front desk had given it to him, despite his objections, and told him that he must keep it on at all times in the presence of his student. He discarded her warning along with the mask without a second thought. He wasn't afraid his Padawan would infect him..if he was going to catch this illness, surely he would have fallen ill with the rest of his men. On the off chance that she did, at the very least it would mean that she didn't have to be all alone.

"If I was going to get sick, I would have already." He told her with confidence, sitting on the edge of her bed. "How you holding up?"

"Not good," she said, holding her hand out to him. He examined it with a crestfallen look, seeing her pale skin and blue nails. "I don't think they're supposed to be that color…"

"Everything will be ok, Snips. You'll see…" He took her pale hand in his own, placing it back in her lap.

"That's...that's the thing, Master...I don't know if it will." She said quietly, her tone low and heavy with sadness.

"Of course it will, Ahsoka. You just have to have faith in the Force." He looked her in the eye, hoping his words sounded convincing, but her face showed no emotion.

"But I've _had_ faith, Master. I can't reach the Force, I can't feel it or see it or use it. It's abandoned me when I need it most, and I can't find my way back. I won't become one with the Force when I die and it's terrifying…"

"Ahsoka don't talk like that." He said in a firm tone, his expression hardening. "You're not going to die. I won't let you."

"But it's not up to you! You can't fight this for me and I can't keep fighting much longer. I don't know if I'll make it out of th-"

"Dammit Ahsoka I said knock it off!" He said, suddenly standing in frustration. "Stop talking like you're dying, you're not! They're working on a cure, and everyone's gonna make it out ok."

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to get a grip on his anger… He opened his eyes, and noticed too late a tear running down his Padawan's cheek.

"Ahsoka... Oh, Ahsoka I'm sorry…" He said, barely above a whisper, realizing what he had just done. Scooting her over gently and sitting next to her, he cursed himself a thousand times over for yelling at her. She was scared enough as is, and certainly didn't need his harsh words on top of it all. He brought her closer to him, trying not to cringe at the scorching temperature of her feverish skin. She offered no response, only turning slightly into his chest in return. Her weak breaths felt like practically nothing as he wrapped his arm around her, cradling her to his chest.

He rested his cheek on her montral, gently stroking her back as he hugged her.

"I'm so sorry, Ahsoka, I shouldn't have yelled… I'm sorry. I just can't think about losing you, I won't. You're gonna be alright, I promise…"

He sent her calming waves through the Force in an attempt to settle the child, but little did he know his efforts were entirely in vain. Ahsoka had long since stopped feeling the connection to her master, as well as any other being in the galaxy.

"It's fine…" she said quietly, so much so that he had to strain to hear her. "I'm sorry."

"I lost my head… I guess I'm just stressed." He said, although it was no excuse.

"Hey, what else is new?" He chuckled, realizing the truth in her words. He sat up from beside her, repositioning himself on the end of her bed facing her, preparing a deck of cards he had brought with him. They played mindless games, talked and joked for hours, and for a small while things almost felt like normal Whether from the exhaustion or the comfortable position she rested in, Ahsoka found herself growing quickly tired, her eyelids gaining more and more weight by the second. She drifted off to sleep slowly, then all at once, her playing cards still in her thin fingers. She felt at peace for the first time in a while, although she wasn't sure what awaited her in her dreams.

…..

Anakin sat in his Padawan's room with a sick feeling in his gut. He deserved to get hit by a speeder for yelling at her the way that he did. The guilt coiled in his stomach as he rehearsed a thousand different ways to apologize to her when she woke up. He was glad that she was getting some rest, but it disturbed him the way that he couldn't hear her breathe, only being able to tell by the faint rise and fall of her shoulders.

What he wouldn't give for a drink at that moment. Though it was frowned upon by the Jedi for sure, a nice glass of bourbon would do wonders to settle his frayed nerves. He knew he had only snapped at her because he couldn't get a handle on his own fear, not without a stiff drink, and that idea made him want to die of shame. He knew it was extremely against the Code to rely on outside substances, of course, but he had learned to appreciate the power of a little liquid every now and again when he just _couldn't get a grip._ He was supposed to be the most powerful Force user to ever live, and yet he couldn't properly deal with his emotions when it came to those he cared about. Of course, this was why the Jedi Code forbid such attachments, but what was he supposed to do? Not care? His feelings were already established, so why shouldn't he find a way to cope, even if it was unorthodox?

He was the Hero with No Fear, allegedly, but if the masses saw him like this he would be stripped of his name instantly. He wasn't afraid...he was terrified beyond belief. If this illness decided to take his master, his padawan, or his friends in the 501st, Anakin didn't know how he would go on fighting. As he sat there in that hospital room, observing the faint rise and fall of her chest, he decided. _Nothing_ would take them from him… Not this illness, not the will of the force. A battle began to rage within him...and he was determined not to lose.

He stayed there for a while, thinking. Sure, he was no doctor, but there had to be something that he could do. He refused to sit idly by as this virus took everything from him. About an hour had passed, and gradually he noticed Ahsoka attempt to shift positions, but her weak muscles couldn't perform. She had a sheen of sweat on her face, and her breathing was alarmingly shallow. He stood quietly, grabbing a cloth from the cabinet and wetting it with cold water. Wringing it out, he approached her once more, and noticed her eyes fluttering open.

"Hey, Snips. Here," he said, placing the cloth on her forehead. "I'm so sorry I snapped at you. I still feel like a jerk. I'm just stressed, and tired, but it's no excuse."

"It's fine, Master, I understand. I'm sorry I cried like a child. That was pathetic. You were right though, I just need to be more positive and stop acting like a youngling. It's hard without relying on the Force, but I need to try harder."

"Honestly, Snips, you can act however you want, and nobody would have the right to say anything. You're the one fighting this sickness, you're working harder than anybody."

"I suppose.."

"Hey," he said with a smile, getting an idea. "How bout I go down to the cafeteria and see if I can find anything good?" He patted her head, earning an eye roll, and left the room.

….

Once she was alone, Ahsoka groaned in embarrassment. Why did she cry like that? It was completely unlike her to break down when people yelled. She was a Jedi, tough as nails. She always took a step back and examined the reason the person yelled, and worked her way toward a solution from there. Anakin yelled plenty, sometimes to her, rarely _at_ her, but never before had she reacted with tears. And now, he would be afraid to be stern with her ever again. He would be extra nice to avoid hurting her feelings again.

It made Ahsoka want to scream out in frustration. She didn't want his pity, and she didn't want to be patronized. This type of situation was exactly what she always tried to avoid, and up until now she had done a pretty good job. She had made him perceive her to be tough enough to handle it like a commander, not a scared little girl. Had one time been enough to undo that? Damn this illness for messing with her like this.

She would not let this make her lose sight of who she was.

She would _not_ lose control, not ever again.

When she slept, she had dreamed again. This time, however, no ominous voices or shadowy figures visited her. It was simply a replay of everything that had happened since she fell ill. She had tried to keep the illness from him for as long as she could. Of course in hindsight, it didn't matter, but it proved how hard she tried to uphold her image. Master and Padawan were more alike than they knew, both refusing to show the other their weakness.

But the difference was that now, she was the one in the hospital bed, powerless. How could she look anything _but_ weak? She used to be able to do anything, it seemed. Now even her own lungs couldn't keep up. Ahsoka would rather go down fighting, in a fiery blaze of glory, than to quietly pass in a hospital room. The hardest task was to accept that it wasn't her decision.

…

Anakin stood in the lift with muffins wrapped in a napkin. He had managed to grab the last ones, making sure that he saved some for Ahsoka as he took a large bite off of one. As he savored the cake, his comm link began to glow, making that force-forsaken beeping noise that he so despised. Grumbling in annoyance, he swallowed the too-large bite with much effort.

"General Skywalker, here."

"Skywalker, at last you answer." Anakin felt the dread creep down his spine. It was Master Windu, and he didn't sound happy at all.

"I'm sorry Master, I've had my comm off. I'm just at the hospital with Ahsoka."

"We know. You've been summoned back to speak with the council regarding your Padawan and give a report."

"Are you sure it can't wait, master? I'm concerned about her, and I'd like to spend as much time with her as possible."

"Unfortunately, Skywalker, we're fighting a war. We don't always get what we'd like. I'll expect to see you here in an hour."

As the lift came to a stop, he tried his best to take a deep breath to calm himself. The lack of empathy for him, let alone Ahsoka, was staggering. But he didn't have much of a choice but to comply, if only to prevent things from getting worse. He walked down the hall to his Padawan's room, bracing himself to say goodbye to his sick friend, and he loathed every step.


End file.
